Iridium

At the beginning of the 19th century, the chemical element was discovered iridium, Mendeleev's periodic table with atomic number 77. It is a very hard, silvery-white metal with high refractoriness and density. Its high corrosion resistance at temperatures of 2000°C is also impressive.⁰S. These parameters made them famous iridium, and it finds special application in different fields.

In Greek, iridium literally means rainbow. Its occurrence in the Earth's crust is very low. Iridium is a rare metal; gold and platinum are more common. Its primary source is copper-nickel production waste—anode sludge. There are various other methods for obtaining it. iridium metal, which involve very complex chemical-technological production processes. These methods of producing this metal are quite expensive and, accordingly, very costly.

Properties of iridium

Physical properties of iridium are quite impressive. It is a very hard, heavy metal that is difficult to machine. Its melting point is 2466⁰C, has a fairly high boiling point of 4428⁰C. Its hardness is determined by its density - 22.65 g/cm³It is stable at temperatures up to 100°C and is heated at normal temperatures.⁰It does not react with all known acids. In the presence of alkali metal chlorides at a temperature of 600-900⁰Iridium powder can be dissolved by chlorination. It reacts with F_2, when the temperature reaches 450⁰WITH. Properties of iridium do not play any biological role, it is not a toxic metal, although some of its compounds are very poisonous.

Iridium indicators:

• Alloys of iridium with tungsten and thorium are used as a metal for thermoelectric generators; with other metals, they are used to make fuel tanks for spacecraft, thermocouples, and thermionic cathodes;
• in the automotive industry they are used in spark plugs, which allows them to be used for a long time, although they are expensive;
• finds its application in the production of fountain pens, on gold nibs;
• Iridium-192 is successfully used in flaw detection, where generating sources cannot be used, for example, in explosive environments;
• It is interesting that the kilogram standard is made of iridium, since the alloy of iridium and platinum has mechanical strength and does not oxidize;
• It is used in the jewelry industry, but the price for such jewelry is incredibly high;
• laboratory crucibles are made to conduct experiments with fluorine and its aggressive compounds;
• They make high-strength, heat-resistant glass blowing dies.

Price of iridium

Iridium mining is a very complex and labor-intensive process, with annual production reaching 3 tons, a very low figure compared to other precious metals. Its prices fluctuate from time to time. Price of iridium 35 US dollars per gram. In 2009 it was 200 US dollars per gram. Price of iridium As of 2016, it was 32$ per gram. Iridium rightfully justifies its place as a precious metal worthy of respect.